Censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy

a place where falsehoods could be told with immunity,
They meant to transfer to the Senate, and to the
Senate alone, the responsibility for what took place
on the floor of the Senate. This privilege of freedom
from accountability in any other place has helped
make this Senate the greatest deliberative body
in the world. But this privilege, like all other
privileges, carries with it a heavy responsibility:
the responsibility of the Senate for the conduct
of its members on the floor of the Senate. When
members have violated the canons of good conduct,
have been contemptuous of the traditions of the
Senate, the only place they can be held accountable
is in the Senate itself. Clearly, Mr. President, the
Constitution contemplates that in cases of
this kind the Senate as a whole, without regard to
party, must take full responsibility for judging the
conduct of its members.
Mr. President, the junior Senator from
Wisconsin is an unusual character with an extraordinary
talent. It is necessary for one to see him in action
as chairman of his committee to fully appreciate
his talents — they cannot be described adequately
by words. Fortunately, many millions of Americans,
including I assume all members of this Senate, have
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a place where falsehoods could be told with immunity,
They meant to transfer to the Senate, and to the
Senate alone, the responsibility for what took place
on the floor of the Senate. This privilege of freedom
from accountability in any other place has helped
make this Senate the greatest deliberative body
in the world. But this privilege, like all other
privileges, carries with it a heavy responsibility:
the responsibility of the Senate for the conduct
of its members on the floor of the Senate. When
members have violated the canons of good conduct,
have been contemptuous of the traditions of the
Senate, the only place they can be held accountable
is in the Senate itself. Clearly, Mr. President, the
Constitution contemplates that in cases of
this kind the Senate as a whole, without regard to
party, must take full responsibility for judging the
conduct of its members.
Mr. President, the junior Senator from
Wisconsin is an unusual character with an extraordinary
talent. It is necessary for one to see him in action
as chairman of his committee to fully appreciate
his talents — they cannot be described adequately
by words. Fortunately, many millions of Americans,
including I assume all members of this Senate, have
- 3 –